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Scam targets local veterans

Another possible phone scam has made its way to Sweetwater and the surrounding area, but this time local veterans are being targeted.Mrs. Donald Goodrich from Sweetwater contacted the local authorities and shared the situation about her husband getting a call from a woman who told him that his friend in Abilene was going to court and needed money. She said when the call came through, it appeared as a restricted number.The woman on the phone told Mr. Goodrich to take down a number for more details, but when he said he--a disabled veteran--couldn't grab a pen and paper, the caller said she would call back to give him more details.Mr. Goodrich called the friend--also a disabled veteran, who told him that he was in fact not going to court. Later, Goodrich was informed that the friend was also contacted by the caller.Mrs. Goodrich noted that both victims were impacted by the scam, and she says that both men are part of the 32nd Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV). She believes the scammers got the number from an out-of-date DAV contact card.When she called the Sweetwater Police Department, Mrs. Goodrich said that the dispatcher recalled a similar scam telling victims that their family members were in trouble in order to try and obtain money. Unfortunately, the money was sent to help the family members in which they later found out the claim was not true.Mrs. Goodrich hopes that this situation will make citizens aware in order to avoid this and any other scams.